Railway brake beam



July 10, 1955 c. E. STEVENS 2,753,960

RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM Filed sept. 11, 195o United States Patent O RAILWAY B BEAM Charles E. Stevens, Chicago, lll., assignor to Chicago Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, El., a corporation of Illinois Application September 11, 1950, Serial No. 184,181 7 Claims. (Cl. 18S-223.1)

The invention relates to railway brake beams of truss type which include a strut, a compression member and a tension member with their ends riveted together, and the invention consists in the structure for holding the ends of the truss members assembled and for mounting brake heads on the ends of the truss.

The main object of the invention is to secure the ends of the compression and tension members to each other by rivets, or like securing elements, disposed substantially in the general plane of the beam as defined by the compression and tension members and extending at right angles to the length of the tension member and at the same time accommodate the mounting of brake heads on the ends of the truss and the attachment of the heads to the truss independently of the means securing the cornpression and tension members together.

This and other detailed objects of the invention are obtained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of a brake beam embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is an end View of the beam with a portion of the tension member removed.

Figure 3 is a detail vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a detail horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 5.

Figure 5 is a detail vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a perspective of the end member.

The brake beam includes a compression member 1, a tension member 2 and a strut 3. The end portions of the compression and tension members converge and extend alongside of each other at 4. Each end of the tension member is upset and provided with a shoulder or lip 5 engaging the end of the compression member.

A U-shaped clip 6 (see Figure 6), preferably a casting, is applied over the ends of the compression and tension members and includes a base or cross bar 7, a front leg 3, and a rear leg 9. The clip is constructed to receive the ends of the compression and tension members between its legs. The legs have bosses 10 and 11 respectively on their outer faces, the outer surface of each boss being inclined to the plane of the leg and disposed more nearly parallel with the axis A of the tension member. Clip 6 and the compression and tension members are apertured to receive a rivet 12 extending in the general plane of the beam and diagonally of the length of the beam and substantially at right angles to the axis of tension member 2.

A brake head 13 is mounted on the end of the beam truss and includes forwardly facing elements 14 for mounting a removable brake shoe (not shown) and a box-like body portion 15 forming a laterally opening pocket receiving the end of the beam truss. The head element 16 forming the rear wall of the pocket is recessed to receive clip boss 11. The head element 17 forming the front wall of the pocket is recessed to receive 2,753,960 Patented July 10, 1956 ICC clip boss 10. The top and bottom edges of clip legs 8, 9 are substantially flush with the top and bottom faces of the compression member anges. The cross bar 7 of the clip is of reduced height to permit it to be seated in a recess 18 formed in the end face of tension member 2.

Brake head 13 is secured to the beam by its legs 19 and 20 which extend inwardly of the beam from the body pocket and are riveted at 21 and 22 respectively to the upper and lower ilanges 23 and 24 respectively of the compression member. Preferably rivets 21 and 22 are staggered longitudinally of the beam to better resist pivoting of the head upon the beam as might occur if the rivets were aligned axially. With this arrangement the head may be removed and replaced, by cutting rivets 21, 22, without affecting the truss assembly. It will be understood that a single leg and rivet could be used for anchoring the head to the truss.

An extension 25 may project from the pocket end wall 26 beyond the ends of the compression and tension members and may be inclined to the general plane of the beam (see Figure 2). This extension is adapted to rest upon a supporting bracket provided on a truck side frame or other truck part. Preferably the extension is provided with a removable wear plate 27. It will be understood that extension 25 is not an essential to the beam and head assembly as the latter may be suspended from the truck frame by swing hangers in a well known manner.

The described structure permits maximum eiective length of the truss for this type of beam, each rivet 12, although extending at right angles to the inclined portion of the tension member, is substantially between the inner side and the outer side of the brake head and the forward end of the rivet being substantially at the center of the brake head. Hence the beam is well adapted to resist bending of its end portions due to the application and release of the brakes. The truss is complete to without the head and the head is secured to the beam independently of the truss-maintaining elements.

The details of the structure may be varied in other Ways than as indicated above without departing from the spirit of the invention and exclusive use of those modications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway truss type brake beam, a compression member, a tension member inclined thereto throughout the major portion of its length, the end portions of said members extending alongside each other, a U-shaped clip with parallel legs receiving said end portions between its legs, and a headed securing device extending through said end portions and the legs of said clip in the general plane of the beam as dened by said members and disposed substantially at right angles to the inclined major portion of the tension member and gripping said end portions in said plane to hold them together, said clip having a rear face paralleling the rear of said compression member and cooperating with the top and bottom of said cornpression member to form a seat for the inner top and inner bottom walls of a brake head beam receiving pocket.

2. A railway truss type brake beam structure as described in claim l, which includes a boss projecting from the outer face of each clip leg, each boss having an outer face extending substantially parallel to the front and rear faces of the inclined major portion of the tension member, the ends of the securing device being shouldered transversely of its length and seated on said faces.

3. In a railway truss type brake beam, a compression member of channel section with a vertical web and horizontal flanges, a tension member of bar section, said members converging toward each end of the beam and the end portions of said tension member being received between the `anges-of said compression member and contacting inner face of said compression member web, a U-.shaped clip with one of its legs engaging the rear face of the channel web, and the other of its legs engaging'the for ward rface of the tension member and being received between the anges of :said compression member, and a rivet extending through said end portions and said legs in the generalplane of the beam, as dened by said .compression and tension members and diagonally of the length of the beam and having heads directly gripping the clip leg engaging the back of the compression member web and the clip 'leg engaging the front face of the tension member to maintain the assembly of said members and clip, the top andbottom of the clip being substantially flush with the top and bottom faces of the compression member to accommodate a brake head seated on the compression member independently of the clip.

4. The combination with a brake beam, as described y in claim 3, of a brake head mounted on each end of f the beam `and each brake head including a body portion with a pocket receiving an end portion of the beam compression member and tension member and the clip and including extensions projecting inwardly of the beam beyond the clip and the rivet and there attached to the horizontal ilanges of the beam compression member.

5. In a railway truss type brake beam, a compression member and a tension member with their end portions converging and contacting, a U-shaped clip receiving said endportions between its legs, a holding device extending through said end portions and clip in the general plane of the beam and disposed substantially at right angles to the axis of the tension member, and a brake head having a laterally opening pocket receiving said end portions and clip and including an extension projecting beyond said end portions and clip towards the middle of the beam and engaging the upper and lower faces of the compression member and secured to the compression member independently of the tension member and clip.

6. In a railway truss type brake beam, a compression member and a tension member with their end portions converging and contacting, a U-shaped clip with its legs extending alongside the front and rear faces of the beam ends, as formed by said compression and tension members, and having forwardly and rearwardly projecting bosses of less-depth than said faces and with outer surfaces inclined to the length of the beam and substantially parallel to the axis of the tension member, a brake head mounted on the compression and tension members and including a pocket receiving said end portions and said clip, the front and rear walls of said pocket bearing against said faces but having recesses to receive said bosses, and a rivet extending diagonally of the beam through said end portions and the legs of said clip and their bosses with its heads seated'on said inclined surfaces of said bosses, and other rivets securing said head to said compression member.

'7. A beam as described in claim 5 in which the brake head includes an extension projecting outwardly from the ends of the tension and compression members beyond the clip and between the top and bottom of the clip and forming a support engaging part.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 766,362 Lamont Aug. 2, 1904 884,445 Williams, Jr. Apr. 14, 1908 956,616 Williams, Jr. May 3, 1910 2,525,368 Otterson Oct. 10, 1950 2,587,915 Spaeth Mar. 4, 1952 

